ACID Unveils 2026 Cannes Lineup of Nine Indie Films
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- ACID announced its 2026 Cannes lineup of nine independent films, opening with "Under A Bad Star" (Mauvaise Étoile) by first-time feature directors Lola Cambourieu and Yann Berlier, whose earlier shorts include "The Lost Children"
- The opening film is one of only two titles in the lineup to have secured both local and international distribution, with Urban Sales acquiring international sales rights and Tandem holding French rights
- Karim Lakzadeh's "Living Twice, Dying Thrice" was clandestinely shot in Iran and follows three miners who fake their deaths so their families can claim compensation, only to find the deception creates new crises as authorities await proof of death
- The lineup also includes three documentaries—Fontenille's personal film about his 64-year-old father transitioning to become grandmother Lilou, Karampour's reunion with her exiled Iranian-American rock-star brother, and Massart's look at France's prison officer academy—plus animated feature "Blaise" and a Cambodia-set Serbia co-production
- Launched in 1992, ACID is Cannes' youngest parallel section, with films chosen by a committee of filmmakers; it previously championed early works of Oscar winner Justine Triet and Oscar-nominated Kaouther Ben Hania, and its 2025 animation selection "Chicken for Linda!" went on to win best film at Annecy and a César
- Pauline Ginot, ACID's director, said the body runs hundreds of events annually to bring selected films to audiences in France's less culturally rich areas, with the Cannes screenings marking the kickoff of a year-long distribution campaign
Why it matters: For nine independent productions, an ACID Cannes slot is a launchpad: the section's filmmaker-led selection and year-long, hundreds-of-events distribution campaign specifically targets underserved French regions where these films would otherwise struggle to find audiences. The 2025 track record is concrete—ACID-premiered "Chicken for Linda!" went on to win best film at Annecy and a César, and the 2025 buzz title "Put Your Soul On Your Hand And Walk" world-premiered there.
